The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has released an investigation about the 2015 Campylobacter outbreak associated with Claravale Farm brand raw milk. In March 2015, the CDPH Infectious Diseases Brand identified three patients who live in Santa Cruz County with Campylobacter infections.
All three patients reported consuming Claravale brand raw milk before they got sick. Eventually, seven total case patients were identified. One lived in Marin County, one in Orange County, and five in Santa Cruz county. Two of those patients were hospitalized.
Illness onset dates ranged from February 16 to March 25, 2017. Campylobacter isolates were collected from three of the patients and analyzed by pulsed field-gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Those isolates all had the same primary … [Read more...]

The Ohio Department of Agriculture is issuing a health alert for unpasteurized raw milk and raw milk products that may be contaminated with Campylobacter bacteria. The products are from Sweet Grass Dairy's herd share. That dairy is in Knox County at 6049 Bryant Road in Fredericktown.
There is no word on how many people have been sickened, the patient age range, or whether or not anyone has been hospitalized. The last Campylobacter outbreak linked to raw milk was in September 2016. In that outbreak, at least 20 people were sickened in Pueblo, Colorado.
A herd share is a system where people buy into a dairy farmers herd, then share in the products the cows produce. This is a way to get around the ban on raw milk sales in many states. The sale of unpasteurized milk is illegal in … [Read more...]

The number of reported cases of campylobacteriosis in the European Union rose for the sixth straight year in 2014, according to the latest annual report by European Food Safety Authority and European Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC).
In 2014, Campylobacter was the most commonly reported source of food poisoning bacteria in the European Union. There were 236,851 cases reported, a 9.6 percent increase from 2013. It was the sixth straight year that the number of confirmed cases rose.
Campylobacter is bacteria that is transferred via the fecal-oral route, meaning those who develop Campylobacter infections have ingested microscopic amounts of animal feces. In the E.U., most cases were associated with broiler chicken meat. Of 6,703 samples of fresh broiler meat … [Read more...]

The New Jersey Herald is reporting that the Warren County Health Department confirmed about 30 people at Blair Academy have been sickened with Campylobacter infections. This is a private boarding and day high school located in Blairstown. Illnesses have been reported since mid-November, 2015. Nearly all of the cases have "resolved" within days, according to the story.
Susan Logan, spokeswoman for Blair Academy, emailed parents about this outbreak. Her statement said "In November, our health center saw an increased incidence of gastrointestinal-related illnesses and alerted all parents by email on November 20 prior to students leaving campus for Thanksgiving break. Late that weekend, we found out that several of those who experienced symptoms tested positive for Campylobacter.Upon … [Read more...]

Raw milk products were the source of 85 percent of all food poisoning outbreaks linked to dairy products in 2013, according to report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A total of 20 dairy outbreaks were reported that year for which pasteurization information was available. Of those, 17 were linked to unpasteurized products. The other three were Listeria outbreaks linked to pasteurized soft cheeses.
Campylobacter was the most common bacterial source of the raw milk outbreaks causing nine outbreaks, 114 illnesses and five hospitalizations. In the last nine months, there have been at least three Campylobacter raw milk outbreaks.
The most recent outbreak has been linked to raw goat milk from Claravale Farms. Three children, all under the age of 5, have been … [Read more...]

Campylobacter in raw milk has sickened several Indian children under the age of 2, according to the Indiana Department of Health. The illnesses were reported in the Odon and Montgomery areas.
Symptoms of campylobacteriosis include diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain and fever. These symptoms develop two to five days after exposure and can last about a week. During this time, the diarrhea can become bloody and sometimes there is also nausea and vomiting. Infections in young children, seniors and those with weakened immune systems can cause serious health problems. Anyone who develops these symptoms after drinking raw milk should see a doctor.
Unpasteurized dairy products and undercooked poultry are the most common sources of Campylobacter infections. Food and drinks that are contaminated … [Read more...]

The California Department of Public Health warned consumers that consumption of unpasteurized (raw) milk may cause serious illness. Six people in northern California have been diagnosed with campylobacteriosis, a serious infection caused by Campylobacter bacteria.
Multiple bottles of raw milk from Claravale Farm have tested positive for Campylobacter and have been recalled. In 2012, raw milk from Claravale farm sickened at least 22 people with Campylobacter. In this latest recall, raw milk, raw nonfat milk and raw cream from Claravale Farm in San Benito county with code dates of "MAR 28 and earlier should be disposed. Retailers should not sell it, and consumers should not drink it.
The symptoms of a Campylobacter infection include diarrhea that is often bloody, abdominal cramping and … [Read more...]

The California Department of Public Health is recalling raw milk, raw nonfat milk, and raw cream produced by Claravale Farm of San Benito County. This farm was the source of a Campylobacter outbreak in 2012 that sickened at least 22 people. Public health officials are also investigating reported clusters of Campylobacter illness in the area.
A statewide recall has been issued and a quarantine order was issued by California State Veterinarian Dr. Annette Jones. A confirmed detection of Campylobacter bacteria was found in raw milk and raw cream collected from the farm. Consumers are urged to throw away any of this farm's milk products in their refrigerators that have code dates of "MAR 28" and earlier. Discard in sealed containers so other people and animals can't drink it.
The samples … [Read more...]

Every American has had food poisoning at one time or another. Most people dismiss the illness as the "24 hour flu", even though no such illness exists. If you have had diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps, nausea, and fever that passes fairly quickly, you probably had food poisoning.
Most people recover fully after these illnesses and don't give them a second thought. But did you know that some people never fully recover from food poisoning? The effects of these illnesses can last a lifetime.
In the UK, a young women who contracted an E. coli O157:H7 infection when she was two years old just learned she needs a second kidney transplant. When she got sick as a child, she was hospitalized with kidney failure after eating a contaminated sandwich. She had a stroke and many serious … [Read more...]

>Wisconsin's Department of Health Services will finally identify the farm that supplied raw milk linked to a large food poisoning outbreak in the west-central town of Durand this fall. Based on numerous accounts, participants in a potluck banquet for the Durand High School football teams were not informed that the milk they were served was unpasteurized. Within days, multiple students were hospitalized and state health investigators ultimately confirmed 38 victims. The outbreak was so severe, the football program was forced to cancel two of its games and school officials marked 150 absences.
Stephanie Smiley, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health Services, told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that the raw milk farm could be named in a report on the outbreak that is due out next … [Read more...]